Underneath This Smile
by Riku's-Kitsune-Mate
Summary: Sora left a long time ago because he was different. Every human being just wants to be accepted. And now that he’s back, can he find a place in the land he once called “home”? [AU, SoraRiku, yaoi, angst]


**Underneath This Smile  
****By Riku's-Kitsune-Mate**

**Sweet Dreams**

**Disclaimer: **I no ownie Kingdom Hearts. If I did, there would be a _lot_ more kissing in it.

**Author's Notes:  
**Tis my new fic, one I've been dying to write for a long time. Might I remind you that this is a yaoi fic, so if that isn't your cup of tea I suggest that you don't read if it offends. Anyways, read and review, ne?

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"_The moving truck is here," the boy murmured, watching the behemoth roll in. Sun glistened off the red-paint letters spelling "Balamb Movers" across the white-washed metal._

_"Sora, are you ready to leave yet?" a thin voice called, breaking the brunet from his stupefied staring._

_"But I haven't said goodbye yet …" he mumbled, picking at the accumulated dirt underneath his fingernails for lack of anything better to do._

_"Ugh, fine, but make sure you hurry," the brunet's mother trilled, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "I swear, I tell you to be ready by five o' clock, and what do you do …" she trailed off, grabbing the last boxes precariously placed by the front door._

_"Thanks, mom, I'll be back soon," he said gently, placing a quick peck on his mother's cheek._

_"Yeah, yeah," she groaned, yet smiled lovingly at her only son. The gentle thumping of the wooden front door as it shut behind the spunky brunet signified his departure, and the woman sighed audibly. "No one's ever going to get my little boy."_

_With a leap off the front step, the brunet sprinted along the familiar sidewalk, his destination clear in his mind. The orange flecked sky stretched across and over the horizon, dappled with pinks, yellows, and reds running above a seemingly endless expanse of golden wheat, the long shreds swaying in the passing breeze in a calming motion. It was here that he stopped, and leaned against a nearby weeping willow, the droopy branches moving back and forth in rhythm with the sun-colored wheat. The shade was welcome during the afternoon's burning spring weather, the winter's freezing snow and ices a thing of the distant past._

_This was the usual place, the familiar spot that each child came to know and love throughout their childhood. The rustic tree had heard many a story; a silent guardian, always there to listen to the children's strife, should they need it. Underneath its hallowed leaves, many once cried, laughed, and discovered the true meaning of love. A magical tree; a sacred tree. To desecrate the serene braches meant immediate exclusion from the community. So it stood; the ancient bark had been there forever and always would be._

_Twilight drew nearer; the cicadas chirped an early evening chorus while hidden among the leaves. "Where is he?" the boy asked himself impatiently, audibly sighing his frustration._

_"Sora!" a high-pitched voice yelled through the fading light over a long distance, the locks of a young red-head coming into view from beyond the rolling hill, the straight hair bouncing wildly off her shoulders as she ran forward. "Sora! I thought you had already left!"_

_"Well, I was supposed to, but I haven't exactly told Riku that I'm moving yet … do you happen to know where he is, Kairi?"_

_The red-head huffed. "You mean you haven't told him you're moving yet? Sora …"_

_"I know! I feel horrible, but you know I can't handle it when he's sad! His emotions are too strong for me to contain on top of everyone else's …"_

_"Your powers … they're getting worse each day, aren't they?" she whispered, cautiously reaching out and placing her delicate hand in the other boy's rough and calloused one._

_A rush of emotions invaded his thoughts all at once at the gentle contact, feelings of melancholy and despair clouding his mind, similar to a thunderstorm blanketing an otherwise sunny day and locking out the sunlight. The prolonged contact initiated its effect; he began to feel nauseous and dismembered, floating on the emotions themselves. With a sharp gasp he jerked back, the overflowing emotions gradually ebbing away._

_"Yes, they are! You're the only one that knows, Kairi! Please, don't tell the others about them! I don't want everyone to think I'm a freak … There are the reason that I have to move … because I can't control them anymore!"_

_"Sora …" she began, sympathy gracing her feminine face, "I won't tell. I promise. But … I'll miss you!" cried the red head, tackling her friend around the waist. "Promise you'll write?"_

_"Of course I will! But I really have to tell Riku …"_

_"I understand," the girl agreed, backing away from the boy, cautious about avoiding skin contact. "I saw him in the cherry orchards earlier, maybe he's still there? He looked pretty upset over something, though …" she trailed off, a thoughtful expression evident in her eyes as she set a finger to her lips. "He wouldn't tell me though …"_

_"Thanks, Kairi!" the boy said gratefully, taking off over the hills. "Take care!" he yelled back, waving a thin arm frantically in farewell._

_"Bye, Sora! I'll miss you!" she called back, mentally photographing a final memory of the brunet before slowly turning and continuing her pathway home, prepared to collapse on her welcoming bed and nurse her broken heart with tears. She was truly going to miss the handsome brunet who was currently searching for his best friend._

_Upset, the young boy rushed through the flower-scented grove, seeking a certain silver haired boy. By now, it was almost completely night, and he stumbled his way through the darkness. The trees around him swayed in the night breeze, loose petals raining down like lilac tears. One might have considered it beautiful, had they stopped to look._

_"Riku?" he called, "where are you?" His voice contained traces of fear, for this had never happened before. He had** always **known where the other was. During the past month, however, a chasm had been slowly forming, the gap growing wider and wider with each passing day. Nowadays, the two hardly ever talked, and although it created opportunities to hide the truth, the young brunet couldn't help but miss the year older boy. _

_Crashing through the trees and sending even more petals into flurries, he hurried towards the overlooking hills, searching for a familiar face among the recently bloomed flowers. An upturned root crossed his path, causing the brunet to tumble down the mound, each bounce and bump evident on his body. Roughly landing at the foot, he groaned and rolled onto his back. With a wince, he pulled himself up, feeling the already forming bruises marring his back. He glared disdainfully up the rocky hill before turning around in order to continue his search, but he soon realized his fall wasn't for naught; for there, hidden in the underbrush was the object of his labors._

_Leaves had entangled themselves with the long silver strands of the boy's luxurious hair, and his pale skin had smudges of dirt all along his body. His thin frame was turned away, and his aquamarine eyes were narrowed in a glare._

_"Riku!" cried the brunet, clumsily stumbling over to the silver haired boy. The older boy glanced at the younger and narrowed his exotic eyes. His head whipped away in a silent refusal to look at him, leaving the boy distraught and heartbroken. "Riku? Riku, talk to me! What's wrong?" he inquired on the verge of tears._

_"…"_

_"Riku! Why won't you answer me?"_

_"… Get away from me." _

"Wh-why?" the younger of the two asked, plopping himself in front of the bush. "What's wrong?"

_"I said, 'get away from me!'" he growled, pushing the boy away. He landed with a loud thud on the ground. The elder stood up and looked away. "How long have you had them, Sora? How long have you been hiding your powers from me?"_

_"H-how did you f-find out?" he asked, shocked that the silver haired boy knew._

_"I'm not stupid. You knew I would figure it out eventually!" he snapped, glaring at the earth. "My … my dad says that people like you don't belong here … that you're a freak … Just get out of here! I-I need some time to think …" he trailed off, still staring at the ground, not daring to look the other in the eyes._

_"Riku …" the brunet whimpered pitifully from the ground, causing the silver haired boy to look over. Sapphire eyes met aqua ones, and the older one finally saw the pain and fear clearly in the ocean blue eyes. His face softened, but before he could get a word in, the brunet spoke. "I-I'm sorry Riku … I'll – I'll leave now …" he stuttered, scrambling away from his once-best-friend. "G-goodbye …" he cried before dashing off as fast as his legs could carry him._

_The silver haired boy immediately regretted his actions. "Wait! Sora!" he tried, but it was too late. His best friend had already left. Little did he know that he would never see him as he was again._

_The broken boy, whose world had just shattered, collapsed in a lamenting heap in front of the stoic weeping willow, burning tears making trails down his face. He didn't know how long he was there, nor did he care; at the moment, he didn't want to exist. Before too long, footsteps came closer, mashing the grass with a crinkling sound and making the cicadas jump for cover._

_"Sora," the soft voice cooed, setting a hand on the boy's back._

_"H-how do you know about this place, mom?" he sniffed, wiping away his tears. She laughed at his question._

_"Silly. You forget I was young, too, once," she teased, smiling gently down at the trembling boy._

_"Mom … Riku knows …" the boy mumbled, "He knows about my telepathy."_

_"He does? How?" she asked, surprise clear on her face._

_"I dunno. I guess he just … figured it out." There was a long pause before he sighed, "Riku hates me."_

_"I doubt he hates you. He's just confused as to his feelings at the moment. You know his father doesn't approve of people like you or your father, God rest his soul."_

_"But he pushed me … and called me a freak! He said that I don't belong here. He didn't want to see me anymore."_

_"I think … I think he wanted to protect you, Sora baby. You may not know what his father might have done had he found out about your abilities … but Riku does."_

_"Then I **am** a freak!"_

_"Sora, don't say that. There's nothing wrong with being different; it makes you unique."_

_"But if it's a good thing … why does he hate me? How … how can we ever be friends again?" His mother sighed, and pulled the sobbing boy into her lap, wrapping her slender arms around him. "You mean you're not afraid to touch me …?" he asked quietly._

_"Of course not. You're my son, and I love you no matter what," she told him, kissing him on his spiky chocolate brown locks._

_"I want to be friends with Riku, momma …" the boy mumbled. "What should I do?"_

_"I don't know. I honestly don't know, Sora."_

_"I thought adults were supposed to know everything …"_

_"Not everything," she said softly, her chin resting on top of his hair._

_"What's going to happen now?" he asked, looking up at his mother. _

_"Well, we're moving. You'll have a chance to make new friends, and you'll be somewhere where you can be accepted, not a freak. Come on; let's go," she said, standing up and holding her hand out. Warily he took it, and yet another feeling clouded his mind. But this emotion was warm and soft, like a glimmer of light in the darkness. Suddenly, everything didn't feel so horrible anymore. He had hope in his heart. "I love you, Sora."_

_"I love you too … mom."_

Sora woke with a start, placing his hand on his sweaty forehead as he sat up. From his bed, he swept a hand towards the window, and watched as it slid open, letting in the cold breeze from the outside. He took a deep breath and flopped back onto the pillows, staring at the white plaster ceiling.

"That dream again …" he sighed. "The doctor will want to know about this … but maybe … I'll keep it to myself. I think that's what I should do." Lazily, he swung his head sideways and looked at the clock. The symbols for six-thirty glared at him in bright green text. "I suppose I should get up," he incoherently said, pushing the covers off of his lithe body. He twirled his fingers at the bathroom door and the nearly silent click of the lock sounded around the room as the blank door swung open.

Gently yawning, he padded into the room, turning on the faucet with a wave of his hand. He grabbed a brush and yanked the knots out roughly, as he did every morning. "Darn hair," he mumbled tiredly with a final tug. Snatching the toothbrush aside as he set the hair brush down, he proceeded to brush his teeth, the minty toothpaste doing wonders to improve his mood. He spat out the remainders of the paste and rinsed his mouth out with the running water. He switched it off, and swiped his mouth with the towel, then continued to walk out of the small ceramic room with a slight smile on his face.

Dressing in nothing more elaborate than a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt, he snuck his way out of his room and through the corridors of the dorm rooms of the great institute. Soon arriving at the roof door, he pushed it open and looked out at the orange invading sun. He shielded his eyes against the almost offensively bright light's assault until he had grown used to it, and sauntered across the roof only in his bare feet.

He leaned against the railings of the building's covering and gazed out at the forest green valley that stretched out before him. The sun was only just rising – a collage of pinks and oranges greeted him as the moon slowly faded into sky and over the horizon. Bluebirds soared above; looking for food in the early morning light. The morning glory flowers hanging off the vine opened their rare petals in salute to the rising sun. The day looked like it was going to be wonderfully beautiful. Perhaps he could get some painting done today, or he could practice his powers down in the rustling forest. Ideas came into his mind fast – perhaps too fast, for he couldn't remember most.

He shrugged and looked out again, clearing his mind of the intruding thoughts. There was only one thing troubling him – it had been for months. It was like a parasite at the back of his mind that refused to go away, and it agitated him. He sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that morning, and whispered, "Who is this Riku person?"

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**Author's Notes:  
**Thank you for reading, now leave me a review, pretty please? I may not get to this fic until the summer, but I've been dying to get it up here. To new readers of my work: check out my other fics too! 


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